Awards

ACFW 2019 Report

By Steve Laubeon September 30, 2019

I just returned from the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) writers conference held in San Antonio and had a great time. Tamela was also there, along with 30 of our agency’s clients.

We had a number of productive meetings with publishers, along with talking with each of our clients. Tamela taught two classes, as did I. Then we each had around 30 individual, one-on-one, 15-minute pitch appointments with authors in attendance.

Saturday night was the Awards Gala. We had a number of client winners and finalists.

Emilie Hendryx was given the ACFW membership award for excellent service to the organization members.

The Genesis Award (which had 257 entries) saw Sami Abrams win the short novel category. We had three others who were finalists: Darlene Turner, Heidi Main, and Deborah Clack.

The prestigious Carol Award (with 361 entries) honored winning clients:

Connilyn Cossette (historical romance)
Kimberley Woodhouse (novella)
Morgan Busse (speculative)
Nadine Brandes (young adult)

We also had finalists: Carrie Turansky, Nancy Mehl, Carla Laureano, and Lynette Eason.

Plus both Bob Hostetler and Tamela Hancock Murray were finalists for Agent of the Year.

In addition, it was great to have Enclave Publishing, the publishing company I own and run, win in the debut author category with Lindsay A. Franklin.

It was an exhausting but invigorating time. If you write fiction, this is the place to attend each September.

Last, it was delightful to meet many of you who are faithful readers of this blog. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement!

Agent-of-the-Year Finalists

By Steve Laubeon June 17, 2019

I am so very proud of Tamela Hancock Murray and Bob Hostetler. They have both been named as finalists for the Agent-of-the-Year award given annually by ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers – acfw.com/award_recipients). Tamela won this prestigious award in 2017 and is honored to be a finalist again. This is Bob’s first time being a finalist; and he replied to the news in typical …

Category: Agency, Agents, Awards

A Year in Review – a Look at 2018

By Steve Laubeon January 7, 2019

It is a good thing to periodically take a look at the past, especially as a way to count our blessings. Here are some thoughts on the last twelve months. The Industry The publishing industry continues to pursue the best content possible. Market forces continue to press for the need to find those titles that will bring a return on their investment. Books continue to sell at an incredible pace. In …

Category: Agency, Awards, Christian Publishing Show, Christian Writers Institute, Encouragement, Podcast, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Four Myths about Fame

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 23, 2018

Being rich and famous solves every problem, right? Let’s give that some thought. 1) Once I have my first book published, I’ll be famous and the journey will be downhill from there. We’re tackling two myths here. One, once you are published, it’s not likely you’ll be famous, at least not Billy Graham famous. But as a Christian writer, you may become well known and loved in Christian circles. And …

Category: Awards, Career, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Fame, The Writing Life

Why it’s Okay to Lose a Contest

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 14, 2017

Any author who’s entered contests knows that they are difficult to win. The competition is more fierce than ever. For example, I just judged an ACFW competition and would have been happy to represent most of the authors whose work I reviewed. Entries get better every year. This is good news for readers while encouraging authors to fine tune their work. In the case of prestigious contests …

Category: Awards, Career, The Writing LifeTag: Awards, contests, The Writing Life

Thank You, Writers!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 28, 2017

In light of meeting with so many fabulous writers at the recent ACFW conference, I feel led to give special thanks not only to my clients but to every writer endeavoring to make a difference in Christian publishing. Thank you for: giving agents, editors, and publishers, books that allow us to have the best jobs in the world. writing complete novels on spec. creating your best proposals. listening …

Category: Awards, Personal

Tamela Hancock Murray Named Agent-of-the-Year

By Steve Laubeon September 25, 2017

We are very excited to announce that during the recent ACFW (American Christan Fiction Writers) annual event, Tamela was named Agent-of-the-Year! ACFW has the largest gathering of Christan fiction authors in the country. I can personally attest to Tamela’s abilities and her success. She is an extremely hard worker who loves her clients and her job. There are few in this industry who can match her …

Category: Agency, AwardsTag: Agency, Awards, Tamela Hancock Murray

A Writer’s Digest Accolade

By Steve Laubeon April 22, 2017

Last week at the Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference Bob Hostetler came up to me and said, “Congratulations!” I looked at him blankly and said, “For what?” His smile lit up, “For being named as one of the top websites by ‘Writer’s Digest!’” Bob later showed me the May-June 2017 issue he had with him and there we were on page 39 (see below). Thank you Writer’s Digest for including us. (For …

Category: Awards

Honored Again in “Top 101 Websites for Writers”

By Steve Laubeon April 23, 2016

For the second year in a row we have been honored by Writers Digest as one of the top websites for writers in their new 2016 list. (The full list is only available to subscribers or if you buy the May/June 2016 issue here.) Their annual listing continues to be a great resource to all writers.A special thanks goes to Dan, Karen, and Tamela who work hard each week to explore all things publishing …

Category: Agency, Awards, News You Can UseTag: Agency, Blog

Authors: Seeking Approval

By Dan Balowon July 28, 2015

Depending on my current situation or environment, I might see something entirely different than another time when I read a passage of Scripture. The Bible is a like a diamond, with light of different colors shining through various facets depending on how you turn it and look through. I am turning one Scriptural “diamond” today to see something in a little different light. When Jesus walked to the …

Category: Awards, Book Proposals, Branding, Get PublishedTag: book proposals, Endorsements, Get Published